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Exercise guide

Lying Leg Curls

How to do the Lying Leg Curls with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationMachineBeginnerPull
Primary muscles

Hamstrings

Secondary

Equipment

Machine

Step by step

How to do the Lying Leg Curls

  1. 1

    Adjust the machine lever to fit your height and lie face down on the leg curl machine with the pad of the lever on the back of your legs (just a few inches under the calves). Tip: Preferably use a leg curl machine that is angled as opposed to flat since an angled position is more favorable for hamstrings recruitment.

  2. 2

    Keeping the torso flat on the bench, ensure your legs are fully stretched and grab the side handles of the machine. Position your toes straight (or you can also use any of the other two stances described on the foot positioning section). This will be your starting position.

  3. 3

    As you exhale, curl your legs up as far as possible without lifting the upper legs from the pad. Once you hit the fully contracted position, hold it for a second.

  4. 4

    As you inhale, bring the legs back to the initial position. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Lying Leg Curls set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your hamstrings volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More hamstrings exercises

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